A Message from Karyn

The time is now! Today we have officially launched our Kickstarter campaign for our next animated film sharing the story of the first Black female pilot, Bessie Coleman. 

Throughout this campaign, we will be keeping our supporters up-to-date with anything and everything Kickstarter including cool rewards, like the opportunity to watch your favorite episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with the cast and even a few Facebook Live sessions with me discussing Bessie's rich history and why she is the perfect hero to join the Sweet Blackberry collection. 

You can view the Kickstarter by clicking here! 

In addition, we have a few cool items in the newsletter such as the request for your favorite Father's Day photos to be included on our Facebook page, and this month's book of the month. 

We're looking foreward to hearing from all of our supporters throughout this campaign. Let's get ready to make some noise!  
 

All the best,
Karyn
African Americans on Broadway 

With actors of color only making up 15 percent of the this year's Tony Award nominees, it's important that we highlight those continue to take a predominately white stage and make their names known.  

This year's ceremony recognized James Earl Jones with the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Eva Noblezada (Miss Saigon) and Michelle Wilson (Sweat) were nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for their portrayals. John Douglas Thompson, nominated for his portrayal of Becker was nominated for his role in Jitney.   Condola Rashad received a nomination in recognition of his role this year for A Doll's House: Part 2. Lastly, the classically-trained Corey Hawkins brought a moving performance to the stage. 

This month Sweet Blackberry would like to recognize the talented men and women who paved the way for people of color choosing to pursue a career on the stage. 

Here is this month's activity sharing the stories of many Broadway actors and shows with amazing African American actors. 
SUPPORT US ON KICKSTARTER!
Today we officially launched our Kickstarter for our animated film on the first Black female pilot, Bessie Coleman. We would like to thank everyone for their continued support and helping us make the first strides towards our goal through donations on our website!

Our Kickstarter campaign will be featured as a part of the company's month long Kickstarter Gold a special incentive spotlighting former creators inspired from their past campaigns. As many of you know in 2014,  Sweet Blackberry ran a successful campaign sharing the story of Janet Collins, the first Black prima ballerina, narrated by actor/comedian Chris Rock. 

We honestly would not be able to fundraise with out our community and are very grateful for all that you do to support us. Those wanting to support The Bessie Coleman Project may do so by visiting http://bit.ly/bessieswtbb. The campaign is set to run until July 20, 2017. Rewards for various offerings range from lunch with the cast of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to receiving all four animations in the Sweet Blackberry collection. 

In addition to the Kickstarter, there are many ways the Sweet Blackberry community can support this project from providing in-kind donations to simply "tweeting" your support on social media. If you're interested in supporting Sweet Blackberry with our Kickstarter campaign on a daily or weekly basis, feel free to contact us at admin@sweetblackberry.org. 
Sweet Blackberry Celebrates Dads! 

Sweet Blackberry is asking you to share Father's Day inspired stories, poems, illustrations and pictures. A gallery of submissions will be created and shared on our Facebook highlighting the ways our community celebrated this special day for dads. Please submit all content to sweetblackberrynewsletter@gmail.com. 
What We're Reading!





The New York Times - A 'Queen Sugar' Rush Heralds a 'Silver Age' for African-American TV 
Bring Sweet Blackberry To Your School! 

Want to incorporate stories of African-American achievement into your lesson plans? Sweet Blackberry will come to your school to share these triumphant stories of individuals surmounting the odds and making invaluable contributions to our society. 

As you know, these American stories are rarely taught in our schools due to the lack of time and resources. Sweet Blackberry's stories illustrate for our children the concept that tremendous obstacles are actually opportunities for greatness! 

To learn more about our school visits, please contact us at  admin@sweetblackberry.org. 

Book of the Month
Big Hair, Don't Care 
By: Crystal Swain-Bates

Lola has really really REALLY big hair, much bigger than the other kids at her school.

Despite her hair blocking the view of anyone that dares sit behind her and causing her to lose at hide and seek, she sings the praises of her big hair throughout this rhyming picture book. 

Designed to boost self-esteem and build confidence, this beautifully illustrated book is perfect for any girl or boy who has ever felt a bit self-conscious about their hair and may need a reminder from time to time that it's okay to look different from the other kids at their school. 

Check it out on Amazon Smile here. 
#SweetBlackHistory
I came from a family of musicians including my aunts, gospel singers, The McDonald sisters. 
I attended Julliard. 
I am the first actress to win 3 Tonys before the age of 30. 

Who am I? 
Tweet your answer to  @SwtBlackberry for a shout out in next month's newsletter! 


The answer to last month's trivia question was Benjamin O. Davis, Sr.! 
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